HOCKEY

HOCKEY; Rangers' Trip Ends, but Scoring Concerns Continue

By JASON DIAMOS

Published: November 18, 2002

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Nov. 17—
Pavel Bure, who was visiting the city in which he broke into the N.H.L. in 1991, was asked if this was the first time he had been this frustrated.

''Maybe,'' said Bure, whose scoring slump was extended to nine games after the Rangers' 3-1 loss to the Vancouver Canucks Saturday night. ''I don't know.''

No one can say why Bure and his linemate, Eric Lindros, cannot score this season.

Lindros, who led the Rangers with 37 goals last season, has gone 15 games without a goal, his longest drought. Bure, who has five 50-goal seasons, is experiencing his longest scoring drought.

''It's not for lack of chances,'' said Lindros, who was credited with a shot on goal against the Canucks.

Bure was credited with two shots on goal, both coming in the third period. An offside call against the Rangers washed out his goal midway through the third period.

The linesman ruled that Vladimir Malakhov did not keep the puck in the offensive zone before passing it to Bure in the right-wing circle for a one-timer.

''I put my stick right on the blue line,'' Malakhov said. ''When I heard the whistle, I thought somebody was getting called for a penalty down low.''

The Rangers' only goal came from Mark Messier with 6 minutes 38 seconds left in the third period.

Coach Bryan Trottier had shifted Messier to a line with Lindros and Bure midway through that period.

Messier converted a pass from Dale Purinton, who managed to keep the Canucks' clearing attempt from leaving the zone.

The goal was his eighth, which leads the team. Bure, who has seven goals, has not scored since Oct. 28.

Lindros has not scored since Oct. 17, when he scored twice on successive power plays in Buffalo. Those are his only goals this season.

The Rangers, who were 0 for 3 on the power play against the Canucks, are 5 for 62 on the power play over their last 13 games.

And yet somehow, the Rangers (9-10-2-0) were 2-2 on this trip.

Goaltender Dan Blackburn started every game in place of the injured Mike Richter, who is recovering from his second concussion in less than eight months.

Blackburn (3-4-1), who has played like he is ready to be a No. 1 goalie in the N.H.L, made 25 saves against the Canucks.

Lindros and Bure, who played seven seasons with the Canucks and nearly four with the Florida Panthers before coming to the Rangers, will be key parts of the team's success or failure this season.

''Just because they're not scoring, they're still a preoccupation for the other team,'' Messier said. ''It takes a lot of energy to defend them, which opens up the ice.''

But if the Rangers are going to make the playoffs, Bure and Lindros are going to have to score, not merely serve as highly paid decoys.

''They know that,'' Messier said. ''We know that. But we haven't clicked on all cylinders yet, and we're right there. That has to be the encouraging part.''

SLAP SHOTS

BRENDAN MORRISON scored twice for Vancouver, which won its fourth consecutive game. TODD BERTUZZI added an empty-net goal with 22.4 seconds to play. . . . Defenseman DARIUS KASPARAITIS, whom the Rangers signed to a six-year, $25 million contract last summer, was on the ice for both of Morrison's goals and is at minus-11. . . . The Canucks' DAN CLOUTIER, who was once considered the Rangers' goalie of the future, made 19 saves and faced nine shots through the first two periods.

Photo: Rangers center Eric Lindros has gone 15 games without scoring a goal, the longest drought of his career. (Associated Press)